Gabriel Olinto

Gabriel Olinto is an athlete.

A short introduction to yourself?

Just a simple man with a big goal called Gabriel Grijó

How did you develop your fondness for your sport and at what age did you start?

I still don’t know the main reason, but the fact that the sport is so free and you can do pretty much whatever you want, and also there is no limit to how good you can become!

I started at 19 years old thanks to my Neighbour who is also making a name for himself in the sport.

What is your style and what rank do you currently hold in (your sport)?

I’m shapeless, formless… like water, that’s a big fat lie my style is actually still in the making so i dont have one and im a purple belt! I still feel like I know nothing but I guess you could say I got some nice passes and guards.  also, i am pretty strong for my size.

Are you a member of any sports team? if not have you ever been?

Well i used to be a basketball player for a small team in rio when i was younger (Under 15 category) i was a crazy point guard with good handles and shot, I also had some success in soccer as a striker but it was a long time ago i think i was 9.

Describe your major highlights and achievements in sports in the past.

You could say being 2nd in The European Championship was a major highlight of my life so far!  The whole trip was amazing! being there with my friends in a hostel, going to awesome tourist spots and meeting a bunch of different people. then fighting a total of six fights with my guys by my side was the best! i remember being so fucking tired and i couldn’t even close my hands from the fatigue but my friend cacau was there with the massage gun to help me! thank God for her hahaha i have a lot of crazy stories from that trip also but i will leave those for when I’m writing a book

Are there any short-term goals you’d like to accomplish in the next few months to a couple of years?

YES! first place in every major championship I go to! Hopefully you get to see that!

Do you take sports as a profession or is it just a hobby?

Like Bon Jovi once said… IT’S MY LIFE!

What challenges have you faced in getting to where you are now? You can also share any injury story.

The main challenge was having to juggle my academic life as a physical therapist with my athlete life, not only that i also began working for one of the biggest soccer teams in south America so it became really hard to live, eat and sleep like an athlete should,

i had no time at all and that was taking a big toll on my mental health and body i was basically slowly breaking down from doing too much i knew that i couldn’t continue like this, during that struggle i also realized that what i truly love is to compete my passion is to go against great opponents and prove myself against them! I realized that jiu jitsu was what made my soul burn with passion, so I set my heart ablaze! I quit everything to do what I love. My financial future is uncertain but I’m truly happy doing what I love! And if I die, I will die a happy man!

What motivates you most about your profession as an athlete?

That fact that i can inspire people from all walks of life and learn from them, I get to face great opponents and test my skill in a big stage, and the more I dive deep into improving myself for jiu jitsu the better person i become all around

Do you have anything you want everyone to learn?

There is one thing i think could help a lot of people with daily life and that’s stoicism

What tournament or match you have won are you most proud of and why

Hmm that’s a tough one because there are a lot! one i really liked was in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. My Semi-Final was against an opponent that we used to train together and he was more experienced than me so he would beat me up all the time. After years i got to face him on a big stage and our match was WILD! people screaming a lot and you could see fireworks coming from the mat basically

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